An inexpensive and robust oxygen evolution electrode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021277527-A1
Application number	US-201716316143-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 10, 2017
Priority date	Jul 8, 2016
Publication date	Sep 9, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electrochemical device includes an electrolyte, a cathode contacting the electrolyte, and an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrode operating as an anode contacting the electrolyte. The OER electrode includes an iron-containing substrate and a layer that includes a metal-containing layer disposed over the iron-containing substrate. The metal-containing layer includes a metal and iron, the metal being selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt, manganese, and combinations thereof.

First claim

1 . An electrochemical device comprising:
an electrolyte; a cathode contacting the electrolyte; and an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrode operating as an anode, the OER electrode contacting the electrolyte, the OER electrode comprising: an iron-containing substrate; and a metal-containing layer that includes a component selecting from the group consisting of a metal ferrite, magnetite, alpha nickel hydroxide, and combinations thereof disposed over the iron-containing substrate, the metal ferrite including a metal and iron, the metal being selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt, manganese, and combinations thereof.

2 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the metal-containing layer includes alpha nickel hydroxide.

3 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the metal ferrite is nickel ferrite.

4 . The electrochemical device of claim 3 wherein the metal ferrite is a spinel nickel ferrite.

5 . The electrochemical device of claim 3 wherein the nickel ferrite has formula Ni 1-x Fe 2-y O n where x is from 0 to 0.5, y is from 0 to 1, and n is 3 to 5.

6 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the metal ferrite is manganese ferrite.

7 . The electrochemical device of claim 6 wherein the manganese ferrite has formula Mn 1-x Fe 2-y O n where x is from 0 to 0.5, y is from 0 to 1, and n is 3 to 5.

8 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the metal ferrite is a spinel manganese ferrite.

9 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the metal ferrite is cobalt ferrite.

10 . The electrochemical device of claim 9 wherein the cobalt ferrite has formula Co 1-x Fe 2-y O n where x is from 0 to 0.5, y is from 0 to 1, and n is 3 to 5.

11 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the metal ferrite is a spinel cobalt ferrite.

12 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the metal ferrite is a mixed metal ferrite.

13 . The electrochemical device of claim 12 wherein the mixed metal ferrite has formula Ni 1-r Mn 1-5 Co 1-t Fe 2-y On where r, s, t are each independently 0.5 to 1, y is from 0 to 1, and n is 3 to 5.

14 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the iron-containing substrate is pure iron or an iron-containing Alloy.

15 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the iron-containing substrate is a sintered electrode, a mesh, a foam, non-woven structure, or combinations thereof.

16 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the iron-containing substrate includes a metal sulfide.

17 . The electrochemical device of claim 16 wherein the metal sulfide is iron sulfide.

18 . The electrochemical device of claim 16 wherein the metal sulfide is present in an amount from about 0.1 to 10 weight percent of the total weight of the iron-containing substrate.

19 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the iron-containing substrate is modified by oxidative activation to produce a high surface area nano-structured substrate that is coated by the metal-containing layer.

20 . The electrochemical device of claim 1 wherein the iron-containing substrate is modified by anodic activation to produce a high surface area nano-structured substrate that is coated by the metal-containing layer.

21 . The electrochemical device of claim 18 wherein the metal-containing layer is thermally deposited on the iron-containing substrate.

22 . A method comprising:
contacting an iron-containing substrate with a salt-containing solution having a metal salt selected form the group consisting of nickel salts, cobalt salts, manganese salts and combinations thereof to form a modified substrate having a metal-containing layer; and calcining the modified substrate to form at a sufficient temperature to form an OER electrode, the modified substrate including a metal-containing layer.

23 . The method of claim 22 wherein the iron-containing substrate is formed by sintering an iron composition that includes carbonyl iron powder under an inert gas.

24 . The method of claim 23 wherein the iron composition further includes a pore forming agent and the salt-containing solution further includes a lithium salt.

25 . (canceled)

26 . The method of claim 24 wherein a weight ratio of the lithium salt to the sum of other metal salts in the salt-containing solution is from about 0.01:1 to 0.5:1.

27 . The method of claim 22 wherein the iron-containing substrate includes iron sulfide.

28 . The method of claim 27 wherein the iron sulfide is present in an amount from 0.1 to 10 weight percent of the total weight of the iron-containing substrate.

29 . The method of claim 22 wherein the iron-containing substrate is modified by oxidative activation to produce a high surface area nano-structured substrate that is coated by the metal-containing or by anodic activation to produce a high surface area nano-structured substrate that is coated by the metal-containing layer.

30 . (canceled)

31 . The method of claim 22 wherein the metal-containing layer is thermally deposited on the iron-containing substrate.

32 . The method of claim 22 wherein the metal-containing layer includes alpha nickel hydroxide.

Assignees

• Univ Southern California

Inventors

• Narayan Sri
• Mitra Debanjan
• Trinh Phong

Classifications

• C25B11/031

  Porous electrodes · CPC title

• C25B11/061

  Metal or alloy · CPC title

• C25B11/077

  the compound being a non-noble metal oxide · CPC title

• H01M12/08 Primary

  composed of a half-cell of a fuel-cell type and a half-cell of the secondary-cell type · CPC title

• H01M4/9016

  Oxides, hydroxides or oxygenated metallic salts · CPC title